Keep Your Friends Close, But Enemies Closer
by mewhunter9
Summary: The team gets a case in Las Vegas, Nevada, the home town of their agent Dr. Spencer Reid. They suspect nothing of it. Well, that's until the youngest member begins to behave strangely.
1. The Vegas Case

**AN- Bear with me for another Criminal Minds fanfiction :D. This time around, unlike _Silent Murder,_ it is more of a Reid-centric story I guess. So, be happy for that maybe?**  
**I'd like to thank user Mardigraskit1, who nerded out with me while we created the plot, characters, and the rest of the story along with beta-reading this chapter and helping fix the mistakes. We have the whole story planned out to the very end, which includes an epilogue. During this story, Mardigraskit1 will still be helping me with the basic writing along with proofreading, so I really can't take all the credit for this story.**

**Disclaimer- I have yet to get a letter in the mail that states I own Criminal Minds ffff.  
**

* * *

Tears welled up in his eyes, which was unusual, when he saw the body in the coffin just before the lid closed.

He did his best to not let the others see the tears and he strolled over to the brown box, placing his right hand under it and lifted it with the help of the other people. He walked with the mourning silence following right behind him. It seemed like forever before the deep hole that was going to separate the body from the rest of the world forever eternity met his gaze.

Sighing, he reluctantly put it on the elevator machine just above the hole and watched it slowly go down, each centimeter the coffin went down a piece of him going with it. Behind him, he heard one of his friends begin to bawl, and as he turned around he saw her fall the the ground on her knees. The closest girl to her sat down beside her and pulled her into a tight hug.

He felt like doing the same as his friend, but he had to stay strong. He faced the coffin again when he heard the preacher begin to speak, speak about the man lying in the black coffin beneath them. Each word pierced the shield he had kept up for like last four days, and it slowly began to crumble as he realized the dark, saddening truth.

He was gone.

Spencer Reid was dead.

* * *

Derek Morgan quickly rose in bed, sweat covering him and causing his clothes to cling to his skin tightly. He looked at the digital clock sitting beside his bed- the red numbers flickered 4:30 AM. He sighed, wiping the sweat from his forehead away with his right hand before lying back in bed.

He stared at the ceiling for several minutes, trying force himself to sleep, but the dream wouldn't leave him. It was just too vivid and too real to simply forget. Morgan reached over and grabbed his cell phone, hoping calling his friend and making sure he was safe would help him.

The agent went to his contacts and brought up Spencer Reid's phone number before tapping 'Call'. Morgan sat up and put the phone to his ear, listening to Reid's ring tone. After about 10 seconds, he heard a click.

"Hello?" Reid's voice rung through the speaker, much to Morgan's relief.

"Hey, Reid. Are you okay?" The older man asked.

There was a brief moment of silence before Reid answered, "Um, yea. Why?"

"Nothing," Morgan said, "Go back to sleep."

"Okay? I'll see you at work tomorrow. Goodnight," The blond said.

"Bye, Reid. Night," Morgan clicked the button to end the call and put his phone back beside his bed, the call setting his mind at ease.

He rolled onto his side, falling asleep.

* * *

"Explain to me why we have to come into work during our vacation?" Morgan grumbled, walking into the conference room with Prentiss and taking a seat.

"Well, a case that couldn't wait a few more days came up and our vacation was yet again interrupted," Prentiss sighed, remembering the Fisher King case.

The small room began to fill up when Rossi, Hotch, and Garcia walked in a few minutes later. Of course, two of the three were also clearly agitated, and Hotch had the same expression for pretty much everything, leaving his emotion for only him to know.

"Where's Reid?" Garcia asked after a silent 10 minutes, looking around and then checking out the door to see if he was coming.

"He called me earlier and said he was visiting his mother in Las Vegas and couldn't get here since the police shut down all airports, and you're about to find out why," Hotch explained, looking up at JJ as she strolled into the room.

"A man named Nicholas Ashley was killed last night in Nevada, which is the third person to be killed in a span of nine days," She started, pressing a button on the small remote she was holding to show three pictures of bloody men, causing Garcia to look away.

Hotch took over, "The Las Vegas police called us in because of the brutality and with the short time span he is killing in."

"Are there any more murders like this one in Nevada? The confidence to kill three people in nine days isn't grown overnight, there has to be something that helped him climb up to killing," Morgan asked.

Garcia answered, "I looked in the Las Vegas database and I couldn't find anything that was even similar."

"How were each of them killed?" Rossi asked, looking at each picture.

"Each of them were stabbed in one of their legs, stomach, chest, and throat," JJ told him, looking at a file in her hand.

After looking around to see if anyone had another question, Hotch got up from his seat, "Go home and get packed; wheels up in 30 minutes."

* * *

A plane ride from Quantico, Virginia to Las Vegas, Nevada is approximately four and a half hours. This gave the team plenty of time to begin to brainstorm over the UnSub.

"We know he's confident, so he most likely has a high ranking job," Morgan started, giving the team something to add to.

"The fact that we can't find any related crimes may mean he is killing in different states to cover up," Prentiss suggested.

"Did the victims have anything in common?" Rossi asked, looking at the small laptop they were using to video chat.

Garcia tapped at her computer keyboard before answering, "Well, other than the way they were killed and that they were killed inside of their houses, I can find anyt- Oh, wait! Each of them had or have a parent that was in a mental institution.

"Which institutions?" Morgan asked, turning his head to look at the laptop too.

"Well, only one comes up," Garcia said, the sound of typing amplifying through the speakers, "Bennington Sanitarium, wait, isn't that..."

Hotch stopped Garcia from finishing, most likely knowing what she was about to say, "When the plane lands, Prentiss and Morgan will go to the latest crime scene and try to find something out there. JJ, talk to the victim's family and look for clues that may show why these people were killed. Rossi and I will go to the first and second crimes scenes to investigate."

The leader moved his hand to pull his phone out of his pocket when he felt it vibrating.

"Hotchner."

"Hotch? It's Reid. The Las Vegas police briefed me the case about an hour ago when I found out you were coming," Reid's voice came through the speaker.

"Okay. I gave the rest of the team instructions already, and I need you to go to the hospital and look over the bodies, you might be able to find the UnSub's signature," The black haired man ordered.

"Okay. I'll talk to you when you guys get here," Reid said, ending the call.

Hotch pushed his phone back into his pocket, "That was Reid. He said that the police told him about the case and I gave him his orders."

Morgan nodded, putting his file down and strapping in like everyone else as the plane landed.

* * *

**That's it for the first chapter of KYFCBYEC, lengthy, no? Well, this chapter itself isn't, but that's only because I wanted to just get the basic things out first, but I'll do my best to make the other chapters longer. Oh, and while I was editting this on doc manager it was being weird and deleted a few words and I caught them, but I may have msised others so sorry about that.**


	2. The Case Unfolds

**AN- Put this off until about Tuesday since I'm lazy and I'm working on a one-shot . xD. Oh, the title of this story will begin to make sense in a few chapters. I'm not planning to end this story too quickly :D.**

**Disclaimer- I do not own Criminal Minds, though I really wish I did fuiklsuhnf. Once again, this chapter was beta'd by the almighty _Mardigraskit1_ :D.  
**

* * *

JJ walked into the police station, surprised at the amount of kinetic energy being performed by the officers. A black haired man noticed her and strolled toward her, putting out his hand as he did so.

"SSA Jennifer Jareau," The blond said as she took the male's hand.

"Detective Robert Myrick, great to have you here," Myrick greeted.

"My team members are already at the crime scenes, they'll meet you here later," JJ explained, "Are the latest victim's parents here?"

Myrick nodded, "Yea. They've been here since we called them this morning to tell them the news. Santonio! Come here!"

JJ watched as a man she figured was Santonio stood up from his desk and joined them. He looked fairly young, at least when comparing him to Myrick who looked in his 50s while Santonio seemed to be closer to her own age.

"Please show Agent JJ to where the victim's parents are at," Myrick asked.

The other man nodded, glancing toward JJ who took the hint and followed him as he began to walk over to a door surrounded by windows that were blocked with curtains.

"Why is everyone so busy today?" The female dared to ask.

Santonio replied, "We have two days, maybe less, before another person gets murdered, so I'm not too surprised."

He opened the door for her once they got close enough to it. JJ watched as a fairly young female, who looked like she had been crying, rose from the couch. JJ put the gentle smile she used when talking to families and walked over.

"You must be Faith Ashley, Nicholas's wife. I am Jennifer Jareau with the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI," The blond smiled.

Faith nodded, "Nice to meet you, JJ. You're here to ask me about my husband?"

"Yes, and my team is doing everything they can to help find out who murdered him," JJ told her, "But, I need to talk to you ad see if we can figure out just why the UnSub- the killer- did this."

The blond sat down, followed by brunette Faith, "Well, what do you need to know?"

"First of all, is it okay if I ask about Nicholas parents?" JJ questioned.

"Well, he was a bit shy about talking about them, but I think this is an exception," Faith started, "His father, Robert Ashley, was in the army for years, though he passed away about six years ago, when Nicholas was 19. His mom, Taylor Ashley, was placed in Bennington Sanitarium for disorganized schizophrenia a few years before."

JJ thought for a moment before asking, "Did his mom ever have any visitors other than her family?"

"Well, whenever I would go there with Nicholas, she was visited by her nieces and nephews. She talked to two people sometimes, one of them which was a patient too and the other was her son. Diana and Spencer Reid I think?" The brunette explained.

JJ visibly flinched at the last two names, though Faith didn't seem to notice. It was not a secret that Reid's mom was a paranoid schizophrenic, but it still was a shock hearing about it. She was also one of the few people who knew how he was worried about genetically having it; Garcia had told her since the red head was worried about the young genius.

"Anyone else? Maybe not someone specifically visiting her, but maybe you were suspicious about him?" JJ asked finally.

Faith closed her eyes for a moment before opening them, "There was one guy who was there not too long ago. He was a pretty tall white man. His hair was black, but I couldn't see his eyes. While he was there, he stood off to the side, leaning against the wall. He kept looking around, but that's it."

"Okay. Thank for your help, Faith," JJ smiled once more as she stood up and left.

* * *

"Cause of death?"

Reid stood with a male doctor, both hovering over the body of the first victim who was killed ten days ago, Lee Johnson. His whole body was covering with a sheet, only his head showing. Though it was a small part, a bunch of blood was splattered on his face, specifically a thin waterfall of red coming out of the right side of his mouth.

"Two stab wounds to the chest, just like Sergo Ferra-" The doctor pointed over to the second victim on the table to the right of them,"- and Nicholas Ashley. They seemed to be inflicted first, so I honestly have no clue as to why he went through the trouble of inflicting the other wounds."

"Overkill. Maybe to make sure they're dead. He doesn't want to risk survivors. How long do you think Johnson was dead before he was found?" Reid asked.

"Approximately four hours. He was killed probably at five AM, the time when the sun is beginning to come up, and found by a friend when he didn't come to work at nine AM- a police man to identify the body a few days ago and told me," The other male in the room replied and then explained his source after a weird look from Reid.

The blond pulled the sheets back, looking over the stab wounds carefully but quickly put the sheet back over the body, "All these years and still can't get used to it... The wounds look hasty and quick, as if he was in a hurry, or that he was inexperienced maybe?"

As if on cue, Reid's phone vibrated in his back pocket. He pulled out, mentally reading the name 'Aaron Hotchner' on the screen.

"Hello?" He said.

"Hey, Reid. Rossi and I are at the first crime scene; find anything useful?" Hotch asked.

"Johnson died from stab wounds to the chest, with the extra ones overkill probably. The doctor thinks he was dead for four hours, and the wounds look like they were made by a first-time killer," Reid explained.

"Sounds about right. Johnson's body was in the bedroom and there are clear signs of a slight struggle. We think we found the murder weapon; a large kitchen knife was found in the sink of the victim's bathroom," The black haired man pointed out.

All of the sudden, things seemed vaguely familiar. As if it were a dream, maybe. But he was a man of statistics, so Reid shrugged it off as a mere coincidence. Though, it wouldn't hurt to investigate further.

"Hotch, what was the entry point?" The young man asked.

"A window, it seems," He replied, "The back one was found opened just enough for a slender body to get through. The door was kicked open be the friend who found him, but he was interviewed earlier and he said it was locked."

Reid had known that; but how? He didn't dare try to look into it more, so he merely pushed the thought to the back of his head. Well, he tried to, at least.

"Reid?" Hotch's voice came through the speaker.

"Oh, sorry. I was just thinking. Did you find anything else at the house?" The blond asked.

"No," The stern man sighed, "But we're about to move on to the next one and Morgan and Prentiss are the the latest victim's home, so check on them later. Until I give you further instructions, go over the case files and look for things we may have missed."

"Yes, sir," Reid nodded, even though he knew Hotch couldn't see him, and hung up.

* * *

In short, the crime scene was a mess.

There was blood everywhere in the bedroom: on the bed, on the walls, on the carpet, and in the sink. There was bloody hand prints and shot prints too. After closer inspection of the murder weapon, the police found out the knife came from the victim's kitchen. Though, from all of this mess, there was nothing to significantly help them in the case. Police at already looked for fingerprints, but nothing had been found.

"So I'm the UnSub. This might be my first kill, so I'm just naturally sloppy until I get used to it," Rossi said as he walked around the living room.

"If it wasn't my first kill, then I left the mess because I am trying to stage it as if it were my first kill," Hotch cut in.

"So, I slide in through the window, probably unlocked," The older man started, walking from the living room to the kitchen, "And go to the kitchen to look for a weapon because I either forgot to bring one or have been here before so that I know what is here. I grab a kitchen knife and go into Lee Johnson's bedroom; it's late, so he's most likely fast asleep."

He then moved from the kitchen to the living room, "I quietly walk up to the bed and stab Johnson twice in the chest, which wakes him up. He will either succumb to the damage done to his chest organs or bleed to death, but I don't want to risk him living so I stab him a few more times. Finally, once I confirm he's going into the light, I go to the sink and wash the blood off of the knife and leave it there. I leave it in the sink and exit back through the window, satisfied with my work."

"Now, we have to ask ourselves: why this victim, why this time, and why the place?" Hotch sighed.

"We know the UnSub is organized, and he probably planned out the whole thing. Just, reality is nothing like his imagination," Rossi pointed out.

"I'll call Reid and see if he has anything," Hotch said as he pulled out his phone.

* * *

Morgan and Prentiss walked into the doors of Nicholas Ashley's house, meeting the sheriff who was standing inside.

They exchanged handshakes before moving into the bedroom, where Ashley's body was covered by a sheet on the bed.

"That's how he was when his friend found him," The sheriff explained.

"This place looks nothing like the photos of the first crime scene," Prentiss pointed out.

"He's getting cleaner. There's barely any blood and the knife used to kill was hidden in the living room, under the TV," Morgan said.

The black haired woman looked around, "Entry point?"

"The back window, just like at the other crime scenes," The sheriff explained.

"No one expects a man to come into their window, so they don't think twice about keeping it unlocked. Anyways, they were probably all asleep when the UnSub came in, so the were complete vulnerable," Morgan told them and walked over to the bed with Prentiss.

The man with dark skin lifted the white sheet, observing the wounds. There was blood soaking the body head to toe, though the crimson liquid hardly went far from there. Letting the sheet fall back into place, Morgan walked into the bathroom where a blood stain was found in the sink. He looked around.

"Did the friend do anything else in here once he saw Ashley?" He asked.

"Nope," The sheriff told him, "He said that he kicked the door in because it was locked and didn't see Ashley in the living room so he walked into the bedroom."

"Get someone to bring him to the station, we need to interview him," Prentiss stated.

"On it," The sheriff said and walked out of the room.

_"I have a feeling this case won't be the easiest we've had."_

* * *

**Yep. There you go, a quite long chapter two. Again, at this point, we're just covering the basics. Things will get more exciting, I promise.**


End file.
